Christus geneest de blinden 1650 - 1700

Curator: Here we have an engraving, likely dating from 1650 to 1700, titled "Christ Healing the Blind." It is currently held here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: My initial impression is one of intense physicality. The figures are closely grouped, and you can almost feel the pressing and pulling, especially around the figure of the man being healed. The fine lines give it a tangible, almost tactile quality. Curator: Exactly! What I find interesting is the anonymous production of this print. It engages with the question of distribution; how religious narratives were consumed and disseminated through mass-produced images, moving art away from solely aristocratic patronage. The lines almost feel industrial. Editor: Good point! Looking at the composition, I’m curious about the decision to depict this specific moment. The miracle isn't shown, only the tense anticipation. I wonder about the contemporary understanding of blindness and disability and what that would say about access to religious experiences at the time? The bodies contorted as they are make it harder to consume as holy. Curator: The engraver really captured that liminal moment, that anticipation. The varying textures created by the engraver is wonderful. Editor: And think of the material cost and labor embedded in it - the production of metal plates, the time, not to mention the network of sellers who circulated these engravings! Religious imagery was itself, like everything else, part of an elaborate material economy. This really gives the image meaning in its production as well as image, pushing outside what its subject. Curator: This type of imagery was very popular for domestic settings; offering a point for meditation. So this engraving also acts as a portable sermon for daily reflection within homes. Editor: This analysis enriches our reading by revealing a dense set of socio-economic and political influences embedded in the image itself. I’m grateful I got to hear how the materials give its imagery meaning! Curator: Yes, me too! I see now the image as part of material distribution channels with wider consumption opportunities of devotional tools!